There is a great new web tool created by the group Environmental Commons that provides a central listing of state laws nationwide the impact local control over agriculture.
Why is this important?
Because the ag and landscape chemical lobby and their allies in government have been seeking for a number of years to limit the rights of towns and counties to control use of their products within local jurisdictions. This has been most prominent in the fight over genetically engineered seeds but also applies directly to legislation about lawn chemical use around schools that has been introduced in various jurisdictions around the country.
This "legislation tracker" provides up-to-date information on agricultural-based state legislation that impacts local government and community decision-making.
In response to communities and local governments passing policies to protect sustainable farming systems and environmental health, including the impacts from genetically modified organisms, legislators allied with the biotechnology industry and the Farm Bureau are introducing "preemption" bills prohibiting local decision-making regarding various aspects of farming including the planting of seeds and the passage of health ordinances.
To check on your own state, visit http://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-tracker.html
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